The invention relates to a device for centering, positioning or gripping, particularly for a piece of automobile body work, of the type comprising a body containing an actuating means and supporting centering means, positioning means or gripping means.
It is known to use in the field in question an actuating means constituted by a hydraulic jack, a pneumatic jack, an electric jack or other remotely actuated means which can transmit forces by means of a cable or other suitable flexible connector.
It is also known to use, in the field in question, centering, positioning or gripping means, to position a piece, particularly an automobile body metal sheet, by providing a positioning opening in this sheet of body work or this piece of automobile construction, and by inserting at least one end of the positioning or centering means in this positioning opening.
It is also known to use centering, positioning or gripping means, or holding means, comprising a gripping or holding arm that is applied against or to hold the outside of a sheet of automobile body work or of a piece of automobile construction.
French patent application 98.09549 of Jul. 27, 1998, unpublished as of the date of filing of the present application, discloses a centering and gripping device, particularly for a piece of automotive body work, which comprises a body containing an actuating means adapted to actuate in combination at least one retractable gripping member and at least one centering member containing each retractable gripping member within this centering member. Each gripping member has an end forming a hook and extending radially outwardly downwardly.
This device described in French patent application 98.09549, unpublished as of the date of filing of the present application, comprises a mechanical movement return means. This mechanical movement return means connects said actuating means to the centering and gripping members, so as to move the actuating means in a direction opposite the direction of movement of the centering and gripping means during actuation of the device.
The invention has for its object to improve the known state of the art, particularly the device described in French patent application 98.09549 of Jul. 27, 1998, not published as of the date of filing the present application, by providing a new electrical control device, adapted to be directly connected to an automatic electric device or a programmable robot, or a computer provided with a suitable interface.
An important advantage of the invention is to construct the device according to the invention as a peripheral directly adaptable to an automatic device, a programmable robot or a computer provided with a suitable interface.
The invention has for its object a device adapted to the positioning, holding or gripping of pieces, particularly sheet metal automobile body work, of the type comprising a mechanism movable at least partially in translation and an electrical actuating means, characterized in that the mechanism and the electrical actuating means are mounted head to tail, so as to reduce the dimensions of the body of the device.
According to other preferable characteristics of the invention:
the electrical actuating means is an electric motor adapted to drive in rotation an actuating portion permitting transforming a rotative movement into a translatory movement,
the device comprises a manual unblocking means acting on the mechanism or on the electrical actuating means,
the electrical actuating means coacts with an at least one control card adapted to be integrated into the device,
a housing containing at least one said control card coacts with the electrical actuating means,
the mechanism movable at least partially in translation comprises a portion blocked in rotation and movable in translation by screwing or unscrewing a configuration coacting with a drive nut or a screw-threaded shaft driven in rotation by the electrical actuating means,
the electrical actuating means is an electric motor of which one shaft end carries a pinion engaging with a toothed wheel connected to said mechanism,
the toothed wheel connected to said mechanism is mounted on two bearings disposed on opposite sides of the toothed wheel,
according to a first modification of the invention, said mechanism is an indexing or xe2x80x9cguide carrierxe2x80x9d,
according to a second modification of the invention, said mechanism is a mechanism for immobilization by pinching,
according to a third modification (not shown) of the invention, said mechanism is a gripping mechanism.